The Major

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Students pursuing a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Spanish & Portuguese choose a concentration based on general area of interest. Listed below are the prerequisites and requirements for each of the four concentrations. Please meet with the Undergraduate Advisor if you are unsure about which concentration is the right fit for you. All courses within the major must be taken for a letter grade, and a major GPA of 2.0 must be maintained.

  • Concentration A: The Languages, Literatures & Cultures of the Spanish-Speaking World

  • Concentration B: The Languages, Literatures & Cultures of the Portuguese-Speaking World

  • Concentration C: Latin American Languages, Literatures & Cultures

  • Concentration D: Hispanic Languages, Linguistics & Bilingualism

PREREQUISITES:

Concentration A: Spanish 1-4 (or their equivalents), and 25

Concentration B: Portuguese 50

Concentration C: Spanish 1-4 (or their equivalents), Portuguese 50, and Spanish 25

Concentration D: Spanish 1-4 (or their equivalents), Spanish 100, and Spanish 25. Note that Spanish 25 is not a prerequisite for Spanish 100 or other upper division courses in Hispanic Linguistics. However, it is still a requirement for the major and must be completed before either graduating or electing to take an upper division course in Hispanic Literature

Concentration A: The Languages, Literatures & Cultures of the Spanish-Speaking World

This option is recommended for students interested in the languages, literatures, and cultures of the Hispanic World on both sides of the Atlantic, and/or a career in K-12 foreign language teaching, as well as for future graduate students in Hispanic studies. Spanish is required for this option, and Portuguese and Catalan are optional.

REQUIREMENTS:

  • Spanish 102A
  • Spanish 104A or Spanish 107A
  • Spanish 104B or Spanish 107B
  • Three upper division elective courses in Spanish or Spanish-American Literature/Culture
  • Two upper division elective courses in any Spanish, Portuguese, or Catalan topic

Concentration B: The Languages, Literatures & Cultures of the Portuguese-Speaking World

This track is recommended for students interested in the language, literature, and culture of the Portuguese-speaking world, and may include up to two upper division electives in Spanish. Portuguese is required for this option, and Spanish is optional.

REQUIREMENTS:

  • Portuguese 102
  • Portuguese 103
  • Portuguese 104
  • Five upper division electives: A minimum of three courses on Portuguese/Brazilian topics, and a maximum of two courses on Spanish/Spanish-American Literature/Culture, Hispanic Linguistics, or Advanced Composition

Concentration C: Latin American Languages, Literatures & Cultures

This track is recommended for students interested in the languages, literatures, and cultures of both Spanish-speaking and Portuguese-speaking Latin America, and/or a career in K-12 foreign language teaching, as well as for future graduate students in Spanish and Portuguese studies. It requires coursework in both Spanish and Portuguese, which makes possible comparative approaches to the culture, literature, and history of the region.

REQUIREMENTS:

  • Spanish 102A
  • Portuguese 103
  • Portuguese 104 or 128
  • Spanish 104A or 104B
  • Two upper division electives in Spanish, Spanish-American, Brazilian, or Portuguese Literature/Culture
  • Two electives in any upper division Spanish or Portuguese topic

Concentration D: Hispanic Languages, Linguistics & Bilingualism

This track is recommended for students interested in the linguistic structure of Spanish and/or Portuguese, bilingualism in society, and/or a career in K-12 foreign language teaching, as well as for future graduate students in (Hispanic) Linguistics. Spanish is required for this option, and Portuguese and Catalan are optional.

REQUIREMENTS:

  • Spanish 100
    • Prerequsities for 100: Spanish 4, 22, or AP score of 5
    • Spanish 25 not a prerequisite for 100, but still a prerequisite for Concentration D
    • Students may take Spanish 25 and Spanish 100 concurrently
  • Spanish 161
  • Spanish 162
  • Spanish 163
  • Spanish 164
  • One elective in Hispanic Linguistics (Spanish 101, 165, 166, or 179)
  • One elective in Linguistics (upper division from Linguistics or another foreign language department, or UGIS 120)
  • ▪ One elective in any upper division Spanish, Portuguese, or Catalan topic

Declaring the Major

You can receive pre-major advising at any time from the Undergraduate Advisor, Max Moloney: spanua@berkeley.edu. You can declare the major when you have completed the prerequisites, which you must take for a letter grade.

Single Major: To declare a single major in Spanish & Portuguese, please email the Undergraduate Advisor at spanua@berkeley.edu.

Double Major: To declare a double major, first download a double major packet from the College of Letters & Science website here. You will need to prepare a four-year plan, get signatures from the advisor in both departments, and then email the paperwork to the College of L&S for final approval and processing: lspetitions@berkeley.edu.